Post-Classical+Unit


 * __Summary p. 120-125__**



__The World Map Changes__ The changes in the world map were due to the spread of trade and religion in the years following the Classical Era. Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity were spread through trade by merchants. Millions of people changed their beliefs due to pressure from the government or the military. The Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean were trading hot spots which, in turn, brought new parts of Europe and Africa, along with Japan into the east-west trade routes. __Triggers For Change__ People turned to religious faith for guidance after the declines of the recently fallen empires because their economies had become weak and disorder was rising. The collapse of classical empires gave people a reason to migrate to new regions. After the fall of Rome, the Mediterranean was open to the Arabs. This expanded trade and technological advances. __The Big Changes__ China, India, the Middle East, north Africa, and the Byzantine Empire traded goods mainly for elites. North-south trade routes connected sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, Japan, and northwestern Europe, and Russia to the main commercial networks. Trade caused the development of new technologies like paper, printing, explosives (China), a numbering system (India), and mathematics (Arabs). All the trade eventually led to the spread of plague. The Black Death killed up to one third of the population in some regions. It started in China and moved into Europe and the Middle East. __Continuity__ The collapse in classical societies caused some in post-classical societies to revive old customs. China revived bureaucracy and Confucianism. This revival of classical beliefs limited the influence of outside religions. Continuity became very important to civilizations. Some continuities showed the combination of traditional forms with the missionary religions. Christian architecture used Greco-Roman styles. There weren't any major changes in society or politics during the post-classical era. __Impact on Daily Life: Women__ All major religions claimed women were spiritually equal to men. In Japan, the importance of women was argued. Islam created new rights for women. Buddhism and Christianity gave women some leadership roles. But there were some changes that negatively affected women- footbinding in China and in Islam women practiced sati.

The Rise and Spread of Islam Byzantines Western Europe The Americas Tang and Song Dynasties Japan, Korea, and Vietnam Mongols